as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
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Recent Examples of boomerang
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—
Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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But the banking industry is going to the mat over credit card rates, arguing that a cap could backfire and reduce available credit.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
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But months later, the campaign to sanctify Kirk appears to have backfired in some ways.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And after the 2008 financial crisis, a handful of institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, participated in shaping regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening the overall financial system—standing in contrast to firms that collapsed or resisted new oversight.—
Anjali Chaudhry,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Years of economic and social crisis, political repression, insecurity, and collapsing institutions forced millions of Venezuelans to leave their country and rebuild their lives abroad during Nicolás Maduro’s rule.—
Jhasua Razo,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Less successful were two other ’74 entries, the John Wayne cop drama McQ and the notorious Lucille Ball flop Mame.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2026
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Perspectives 🏁 The viral video of a Kansas referee seemingly flopping during a high school girl’s basketball game is a bad look.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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